1 Kings 3:24

24 After a moment the king said, "Bring me a sword." They brought the sword to the king.

1 Kings 3:24 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 3:24

And the king said, bring me a sword
The design of which might not at first appear to the court, and it might be thought strange, and greatly wondered at: what should be the meaning of it: and they brought a sword before the king;
his commands were obeyed.

1 Kings 3:24 In-Context

22 "Not so!" said the other woman. "The living one's mine; the dead one's yours." The first woman countered, "No! Your son's the dead one; mine's the living one." They went back and forth this way in front of the king.

23 The king said, "What are we to do? This woman says, 'The living son is mine and the dead one is yours,' and this woman says, 'No, the dead one's yours and the living one's mine.'"

24 After a moment the king said, "Bring me a sword." They brought the sword to the king.

25 Then he said, "Cut the living baby in two - give half to one and half to the other."

26 The real mother of the living baby was overcome with emotion for her son and said, "Oh no, master! Give her the whole baby alive; don't kill him!" But the other one said, "If I can't have him, you can't have him - cut away!"